Brake



BRAKE @riginai Filed August 29, 1921 3 sheets-sheet 1 i i f Il:

@yl s ,1 4l 33 40 Dec" 14 1923 BRAKE rginal Filed August 29, 1921 s sheets-sheet 2 Dec. 14 v1926.

5 Sheets-Sheet 5' F.HUNZIKER BRAKE Original Flled August 29, 1921 Patented Dee. i4, i922 U Ni TED STAT ES PATENT ENCE.

FRANZ HUNZIKER, OF LUCERNE, SW'ITZERLAND;

BRAKE.

Original applicationy led August 29, 1921, Serial No. 496,389, and in Switzerland Junez, 1917. Divided and this application' filed. September 23, 1925.. Serial No. 58,171.

The present invention relates to improvements in brakes which operate on the rail by the friction of. their surface onV each. side of the rail and'A whiclrbrake is attached to the vehicle in such a manner that it is able. to

moveV freely, as far asis necessary, transversely, and also as a. whole or in parts to turn. verticallyv to the plane of the track so that, the contact surfaces of the brake can i0 freely and without any interference lay themselves against the friction surfaces of the rails. rlrhe invention more particularly relates to. brakes as described. in the application, Serial No. 496,389.

The present application is aY division of said copending application for Letters Patent Seri-al Number 496,389 filed August 29, 1921..

According tof the present inventiony the brake-arms are each provided with a mov'- able brake wedge, moreover means are providedto move said wedges in or out of their working position. These wedges allow a very rapidi and eiiicient action.

Tn. the drawings some devices are shown diagrammatically by way of examples.

Fig.. I. illustrates the front view of the rapidfclutch brake.

shows its side view. Fig. 3 illustrates the view parts in section.

Fig. l is the' horizontal section online kf-B of 2 through the proper brakeparts..

Fig.. 5 shows the top of. acar of a lift with the brake,

from above with rig. eis a Section on 1in@ on of rig. 5.'

Fig7 is a. vertical sectional view of a modified form of the invention,

Fig. .8 is a horizontal sectional view of same.

lin the constructon shown inFigs. l to 4 two brake-wedges 3l with sliding-plates 22 are placed at the lower end. of two brakearms 33 at each side of the rail. The brake arms 33' are mounted in the frame 45 of lthe car iny such a manner that they move freely transversely and, as a whole or in parts, turn vertically to the plane of the track asV described more ful-ly in the co-pending specification. The bra-ke wedges are free to slide ins the direction of the rails. and they. are actuated. by the double-armed lever 34E with joint-pins 35, pin 36., throw-out-rods 37 and locking spring 33. The brake-arms 33 are held together above the rail by a connecting` pin 39 with two strong brake-springs 40. distance-ring 4l of said` pin' 39 ensures the proper distance between the two brake-arms when. the brake is open, whereas a. fish-plate 4.2 connects the upper ends of the brake-arms 33. at their proper distance. This fish-plate 42 with p the brake-arms 33 is transversely7 movable on a girder4-3` of the vehicle frame 4:5. The lower partof the brake is also movably held in a {ish-plate 46 of the. vehicleframe. Two springsl 4:7 maintain the open brake in its' mean position whereas at theI lower end it is guided along the rail. The two brake-arms support themselves, together or` singly turnable vertically to thei rack-plane, at one side against brake-shields a9 cf the vehicle.. Laths 32 at each side reach underneath the rail head and the nuts 2l. prevent the vehicle from leaving the railsI when the brake is being applied. The joints 35 allow the brake free movementyas against its rods 34 to 37 This brake operates in the following manner:

l/Vhen the brake is open the locking-spring 38 resting against the vehicle-frame 45, is in tension and the rods 37 are'kept in position by athrow-out device not shown in the drawing. lVhen actuating the rods 37 the two brake wedges 3l are first of all thrown suddenly and forcibly in between the brakearms bythe force of the locking springs 33, unt-il they rest against thev rail-headfreely and perfectly at each side, owing to the fact that the brake arms have their upper ends mounted for movement transversely of the frame and. also mounted for horizontal pivotalmovement, whether the vehicle is on the straight track or on a bend. The vehicle continuing on the move now draws the brake-arms 33 over the two wedges 3l`resting on the rail until the arms 33 forced apartby springs meet the prominences 22 ofV the wedge 3l carrying the latter along. The brake is'nowfclosedV and it gradually brings the vehicle to a standstill owing to the sliding friction` on the'rail. The efficiencyY of the brake and the length of the run with the brake applied'can beregulated by the more or lless strong tension given to the brakesprings 4:0.

The efficiency of the brake is quite independentof the gradient, of the loadcarried 'and of the impulses of adhesion. For this reason it can be applied to lifts just as well. It is a fact that the work of the catch brake-device attached rigidly to the lifts heretofore used, is adect-ed unfavourably if the lift for example is loaded. unevenly, thus pressing1 the catch-brake-device to one side. A fall-brake freely movable attached to a. lift will lead here also to increased safety, and to more rapid and more even effect, and promote a more perfect pressure on the friction surface against the guiderail, which will be of great advantage, especially with the heavy mining-hoists. It is not necessary that the guide-rail should be a rail-road rail with vertical lifts, it may be smooth and without a head, as has been the usual practice. In Figs. 5 and 6 one mode of constructing` the brake in connection with lifts is shown.

On the frame of an elevator car, etc., two horizontal bars 51 are movably mounted in horizontal direction, extending above or below the car or lift from one rail 52 to the other. They are fitted at each side with two brake-pieces 53 and they are interconnected by connecting-pins 5a and pressed against each other by springs 55 all made in such a manner that the bars attached to the lift are moving horizontally and freely within certain limits. Two pairs of brakewedges 56 are provided, the wedges resting on two double armed levers 57 hinged to a common vertical rod 58 fixed to a hoisting rope 59. A spring 60 abutting on a bearing of the car at the one end and on the rod 58 on the other end pushes the wedges 56 between the pieces 53 as soon as the rope 59 breaks, or if the car lowers swiftly with an excessive speed, etc. The mechanism between the brake and the rope suspension can be constructedotherwise as shown, but always in such a manner, that each brake shoe can adjust itself freely in any direction independently of the others even after some wear, etc.

In any of the constructions shown, the brake pieces co-operating with the rails may be made adjustable in a direc-tion perpendicular to the running face of the rails. If for instance in the construction shown in Figs. 5, 6 the distance between two rails varies the brake pieces need have some play to adjust themselves with reference to each other. Care is to be taken that in any position each brake piece bears with its whole braking surface on the rail co-operating therewith and that the distance between the co-operating riction faces is a minimum to ensure a rapid closing of the brake.

In the brakes used in connection with rail carriages a brake piece bearing on the upper horizontal face may be used provided provision for adjustment in vertical direction is made to eliminate the effect of wear, of lowering of the axles of the vehicle, and so on.

fr brake constructed according to this principle is shown in Figs. 7 and 8. On cach end of a beam 63 of the cage, car, etc. a guide piece 6&- is attached embracing the rail 65. Two levers 66, 67 are arranged in said guide piece pivoted on a bol't 68 passing through au elongated slot 69 of the web of the beam 68. rEhe bolt 68 slides freely in said slet in such a manner that the free ends of the levers 66, 67 can follow the inequalities, the bends, etc. of the rail 65. Near the free ends of the levers 66, 67 they are traversed by a spindle 70 having a nut at each end and springs 71 between the nuts and the levers to press the levers 66, 67 against each other and on an abutment 66n of piece 6a of such a manner that they do not touch the rail 65. Each lever 66, 67 has near its free end a slot 67FL running in the direction of the rail 65. In each slot a wedge 7'? is slidably mounted resting on an arm 73 of a double armed lever pivoted on the beam 63 and actuated by some brakegear which gear maybe of any suitable construction. It is apparent that the braking surfaces of the levers 66, 67 follow closely the co-operating faces of the rail 65; the cooperating faces are near each other and a rapid gripping and a self-adjustment of the faces is attained.

I wish it clearly understood that various changes may be made without departing from the s-pirit of my invention, the princile as shown applied to lever-brakes may e applied to other brakes as well for instance to brakes having` cams or some other braking organ. She essential feature is that the braking element co-operating with the rail has sufhcient freedom to adjust itself .l

to the deviations of the rail.

Having now described my invention what I claim by U. S. LettersI Patent is:

l. A brake comprising in combination with a rail, self-adjusting gripping` arms mounted in the frame of the carriage for universal angular movement so that it follows each deviation of the rail in any direction, wedges slidably mounted in said arm, means to operate said wedges.

2. A brake comprising in combination with a rail two pivoted gripping arms, opposed to each other, adapted to be pressed against the rail, means to mount said arms on the vehicle for universal angular movement, in such a manner that the brake surfaces can unobstructedly adjust themselves to the inequalities to the lateral deviations and to the change of direction of the rail, wedges slidably in the direction of the rails and mounted in close proximity to said rails, means to actuate said wedges.

3. A rail-brake comprising in combination with a rail, two pivoted gripping arms opposed to each other, adapted to be pressed against the rail, means to connect the said arms with the vehicle for universal angular movement so that the brake surfaces thereof can adjust themselves unobstructedly transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and according to the position of the rail, Wedges slidaloly mounted in said arms and Co-operating with the rail, means to operate said wedges in said arms, means to removably connect the Wedges to said arms substantially as described.

4C. A rail brake comprising in combination with a rail two pivoted gripping arms adaptment so that said arms can adjust themselves unobstructedly to the changing direction of the brake rail, Wedges slidably mounted in said arms and cooperating' with the rail,

vmeans to move said Wedges in guides of 20 said arms, said means comprising a spring. In Witness whereof I alix my signature.

FRANZ HUNZIKER. 

